QED

I occasionaly use practice plugs but it's hard to find them under 1/4 oz so for UL/BFS stuff, I just use pencil type drop shot weights.

Since the question is directed at living/fishing location(s), I'll stick with San Jose/Silicon Valley. The specialty high end jobs here pay ridiculously well (not even counting the generous bonuses and stock grants) and some of the tech specific jobs often don't even exist elsewhere in the US except perhaps in Austin TX, the Route 128 corridor in MA, or the Research Triangle Park in NC (though SV is still the center of tech universe in the US). I live on Mt Hamilton overlooking SV and have a mountain lake just 4 miles from me so I'm staying put. But table stakes for buying a house here are ridiculous, so it's not all sunshine and roses.

Spinnerbaits are among my favorites. You can slow roll them near the bottom, retrieve at a medium pace to run at an intermediate depth, or run them just under the surface to create a noticeable wake. In the latter case it acts similar to a buzzbait though you need to practice enough so that you can reliably retrieve in a manner such that the blade(s) don't break the surface. A hit when buzzing a spinnerbait is about as exciting as a hit on a buzzbait.

Daiwa Steez AIR TW 500XXH (BFS) Daiwa Steez CT SV TW 70 XH (Finesse/Light) Functional works of art.

I have the same setup (with Steez CT SV TW 70 XH) which is very nice but VERY spendy.

The Shimano cold forged aluminum reel seat.

Thanks for the pointer. The new Lew's line doesn't have rods or reels in the UL spinning or BFS casting range, so I think I'll pass on being an early adopter of the new elite series. BTW, I have a Lew’s Pro-Ti 68M casting rod which is a fine rod but it isn't especially outstanding at anything.

Nice to see Lew's make products farther into the high end, but doesn't seem the pre-announced products are available yet.

Are you are referring to the range 1/4 ro 1/3 oz lures? If so, any decent reel should be able to handle that.

True concern. But if buying from a reputable seller then that risk is mitigated somewhat.

Ebay.

Never. But I mostly fish UL spinning and BFS casting, so really light lures are de rigueur.

In view of the current exchange rates, if you wish to purchase a Japanese high end reel, now is a good time to proceed. Most of my casting reels are JDM BFS models but I paid close to MSRP, which was the early adopter premium.

Each one I currently own, respectively.

I take a different tack - I don't buy in volume (though I still manage to end up with more rigs than I can rationalize) but rather buy at the very high end. A slightly different variant of the BM virus.

Johnson Original Beetle Spin - 1/4 oz. - Black/Chartreuse with Silver Blade or Yellow/Black Stripes with Silver Blade. $1.59. It’s been catching bass (and many other fish) for over half a century. Also, once you figure out your favorite plastic worm type, brand, size, and color, buying those in bulk is much cheaper than buying them in the usual smaller quantity packages.

LiveTarget makes small umbrella rigs with stated weights of 1/4 and 3/8 oz. I have a couple but haven't used them yet. https://discounttackle.com/products/livetarget-baitball-spinner-rig-umbrella-rig

How often does stuff like this happen on the auction site? I'd be annoyed if after the bidding has closed without me being the high bidder, I subsequently recieved a notice stating that I was high bidder. Doesn't give one confidence in their platform.

Ditto.

Per Shimano, Infinity drive means this: "The Infinity Drive structure is a more advanced version of the conventional X-SHIP structure that created exceptionally light winding. The main shaft, which had previously been supported by the pinion gear, is now supported by a new and unique low-friction bushing that significantly decreases frictional resistance. In addition, the main shaft has undergone a proprietary surface treatment and special processing to drastically reduce rotational torque, constructing a reel that can actively wind even under heavy loads." From my perspective, this is mostly marketing drivel, but the Infinity Drive reels I have are only a bit smoother than their predecessors so there's that...

Seems the nut was most likely already stripped at the time the handle popped off since the nut retainer normally prevents the nut from backing out.

If ultimate casting distance isn't a priority concern, then 500 and 1000 size spinning reels offer very real weight advantages which are important to me.

The Phenix feather series rods seem to meet your budget constraints and are really light. One caveat though, I only own a few Phenix K2 rods, so just pointing you to the feather series based upon their published specs. The K2s work really well but are at a much higher price point.

When using jargon (i.e., words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group), one should strive to use terms in the manner consistent with the way the rest of the relevant group uses it, or others will not understand you. I have a medium casting rig that weighs right around 8 oz but I doubt that most here would consider that to be an ultralight setup.

Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely pro-feathering. But I feather the line using the index finger on my casting hand rather than using my off hand, the latter of which is what I was referring to as kludgy.